Tarrawanna are now eight points off a finals place after conceding a late penalty to go down 1-0 to Albion Park White Eagles in a tight clash at Terry Reserve on Saturday. The Blueys had a number of great chances to take the lead throughout the match and could have been expected to take a stronghold of the match once Albion Park went down to ten men when Shannon Fielding was dismissed in the 45th minute. However, it was the hosts who took all three points in the final stages of the match, with an 86th minute Chris Gomez penalty sealing the win for Albion Park, who maintain their hold in third.

 

It was the Eagles who took all three points when these sides last faced back in round six - with a Robert Delbanco goal and a Shayne Ardle brace securing a 3-1 win - but it was Tarrawanna who kicked off the clash looking like they were going to claim some ground on their hunt for finals football, with their first real chance of the match coming in the 7th minute. The Blueys would advance down the left-hand side of the field through Jacob Fryday before the Tarrawanna player sent a great cross into the box which found Bradley Acev in the box, but the Blueys forward was unable to direct his volley goal-wise, tapping his effort well over the bar despite being within six yards of the Albion Park goal.

 

Tarrawanna had another huge chance to take the lead just two minutes later, when a powerful effort just outside the box from the foot of Rick Goodchild managed to beat a diving Chris Fuentes Ramirez only to be denied by the ball rocketing off the bar in the top left corner of the goal, saving Albion Park from going behind early in the match.

 

The Blueys continued to press their early advantage and came agonizingly close to taking the lead once more in the 23rd minute when a free-kick was awarded to the visitors. Goodchild again stepped up and fired off a powerful effort that flew over the wall, but Fuentes Ramirez was able to get a hand to Goodchild’s effort, producing a top-drawer save to tip the ball over the crossbar and keep Tarrawanna out.

 

As the match reached the half-hour mark, Albion Park began to push their way back into the match, and the hosts had their first real chance of the match in the 32nd minute when a quick break saw Hikaru Kawasakiya burst through the defence and tap an effort past a rushing Adam Rodriguez, however a fantastic clearance from Bradley Durrant kept the Blueys in the match and Albion Park scoreless.

 

The Blueys continued to push for a goal and came close once more in the 42nd minute when some great passing play between Darren Stone, Rick Goodchild and Matthew Naylor saw the ball roll back to Stone in front of goal with little pressure on the Tarrawanna player. However, Stone’s effort left much to be desired and his powerful effort flew over the bar.

 

Despite having less attacking chances, Albion Park continued to try and find a way through the Blueys defence, but their own defensive effort was made significantly harder in the 45th minute when Shannon Fielding was dismissed after he picked up his second yellow card of the afternoon, a rough note to end the opening half for the hosts.

 

With Tarrawanna beginning to tire as the second half wore on, Albion Park continued to grow into the match and shut down more of the visitors chances, but Tarrawanna continued to have great chances to take the lead and in the 67th minute the side came dangerously close to taking the lead after a shot from Jacob Fryday was saved by Albion Park shot-stopper Chris Fuentes Ramirez only for the ball to roll to Rick Goodchild, whose effort ricocheted off the crossbar and out in another frustrating play for Blueys supporters.

Albion Park almost managed to push themselves into the lead two minutes later after a great ball to Kody Maude allowed the Eagles forward to show some great control while under pressure before he fired off a brilliant chip towards an off-his-line Adam Rodriguez. However, the Blueys gloveman was able to read the play well enough to fall back and catch the ball, saving Tarrawanna from going behind.

 

But despite the continuous attacking pressure from the Blueys, it was the hosts who took the lead in the dying stages of the match, with Albion Park finally breaking the deadlock in the 86th minute after Chris Gomez was brought down in the box by Matthew Naylor. The Eagles were awarded a penalty and Gomez made no mistake of the spot-kick, firing into the top left corner to hand Albion Park a slim lead.

 

With the Blueys now on the backfoot, Tarrawanna began to push heavily seeking an equalizer, but Albion Park managed to hold on to secure the 1-0 win and a vital three points for their finals aspirations.

 

The win sees Albion Park move to within one point of mathematically securing finals football for 2018. They will seek to do just that in the next round when they travel to Ocean Park to face Woonona, who went down 3-1 to Port Kembla on Saturday afternoon to remain locked in tenth spot on the Premier League ladder.

 

But for Tarrawanna, the loss is another heartbreak for the side, with the gap between them and fifth-placed Port Kembla now sitting at eight points. With just five games remaining in the season, the Blueys need a minor miracle to claim a finals spot, and the miracle could start when they host seventh-placed Corrimal Rangers next Saturday at Tarrawanna Oval - a must-win for both sides as they aim to remain in the finals race.

 

Saturday 14 July 2018 at Terry Reserve

Albion Park White Eagles – 1 (Gomez 86’)

Tarrawanna SC – 0

Albion Park White Eagles: Chris FUENTES RAMIREZ, Blake MCGINN, Luke DEBROT, Shannon FIELDING, Chris NATHANIEL, Robert DELBANCO, Shayne ARDLE, Kody MAUDE, Jesse CASEY, Chris GOMEZ, Hikaru KAWASAKIYA

Subs: Shaun MCRAE (GOMEZ 86’), Nathan RALPH (CASEY 70’), Ryojiro SHIMIZU, Cody WEHMEYER (KAWASAKIYA 90’), Jacob HUFTON

Tarrawanna SC: Adam RODRIGUEZ, Matthew NAYLOR, Bradley DURRANT, Corey HORNER, Jake MORLANDO, Daniel GOODHEW, Bradley ACEV, Samuel CHAPPLE, Darren STONE, Rick GOODCHILD, Jacob FRYDAY

Subs: Liam UNICOMB (STONE 56’), Takumi MACHIDA (ACEV 74’), Benjamin LEARMONTH, Kouryo KUBOTA (NAYLOR 86’), Bradley JONES

Referee – Andrew NAYLOR

Assistant Referees – John RUSCICA and Matthew HARDY

Report by Cal Behrendt, on Twitter @CalBehrendt

Photo by Kiah Hufton (Soccer Shots Illawarra)